Today Japan starts dumping its nuclear waste into the ocean.
"Japan’s decision to go forward with the release of the treated, radioactively contaminated water is not surprising, but certainly disappointing. Both Japan and the IAEA can turn a challenging situation…
O-bon: Festival of The Dead or “Please Feed The Hungry Ghosts”
The "bon" in O-bon (盆) itself refers to the vessels (plates, bowls, tupperware etc) in which offerings are placed for the spirits of the deceased. The physical bowl has come…
The 99% has a Very Different Meaning in Japan
By Henry Rogers Japan has an astonishing 99% conviction rate for suspects going to trial. This has caught the attention of the Human Rights Watch, and the organization has built…
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Lessons Learned From Encounters With Clickbait Journalists
In the yakuza world they say, “As soon as you get to the top, someone will try to kick you down.” The world of journalism is, sadly, surprisingly “If you’re…
What I’ve Learned In The 30 Years Since I Became A Reporter: The 12 Rules Of Being A Good Journalist In Japan
Share your data. The internet is a vast and endless storage hub. If you’ve written something the world should know--put up supporting data and documents on the web, maybe in…
What This Means (a short-story about love and marriage in Japan during the pandemic)
And then she would pretend to pout which was another cue for me to massage the back of her feet, and then we'd head off to the bedroom or just…
Beyblades X Will Rock Your World!
Beyblades: A toy, or much more? By Henry Rogers Two children sit in a dark basement with stern looks on their faces. Between them sits an arena, a place where…
Masks are off at Tokyo’s best fetish party, Department H (unless you’re into that)
Following that was a lively wrestling match between two people in lizard masks which supposedly turned into a softcore sex show. Unfortunately I just barely missed the plot twist while…
An Honest Portrait of a Japanese B*tch
Japanese women are angry. If you didn't already know this you probably shouldn't be reading a review of The Ripple because you won't be interested in a film about older,…
The Unbearable Pathos Of Poop (Okiku’s World film review)
oop is the main thing that remains in the mind after watching Okiku's World. Lots and lots of poop. Ninety-nine percent of the film was shot in black and white which…